N70,000 Minimum Wage: Kwara Workers Left In Limbo As "Arakunrin Alade" Deploys Delay Tactics
By Abdulyekeen Mohd Bashir
For clarification and setting the records straight, in the year 2011, when ₦18,000 minimum wage was implemented, Kwara State was one of the first federating Units to implement the amount as minimum wage alongside the FG, and no government worker received anything less than the implemented amount. "Go and verify" apology to His Excellency, Peter Obi. In 2019, No governor implemented the ₦30,000 minimum wage until fPMB showed his interest in seeking reelection. The then Kwara PDP guber candidate, Rt. Hon. Rasak Atunwa throughout his campaign, promised to implement and pay the 30, 000 minimum wage if elected. Unfortunately, it took the current administration of AA almost three years before he started the "expired" 30,000 minimum wage. As a concerned Kwaran and a stakeholder in the project Kwara, I am very keen this time around of not wanting history to repeat itself where the Gov will, as usual, deploy his delay tactics before implementing the wage.
Since President Bola Ahmed Tinubu signed into law the new National Minimum Wage Act in July, Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq has continued to drag a foot over its implementation in Kwara state, leaving workers anxious and frustrated. The same workers rode on their emotions to gain power. While states like Ogun, Gombe, Adamawa, Borno, Kogi, and Ondo, and just yesternight as at the time of putting this together Lagos State announced and implemented new wage structures for their workers, Kwara continues to play mindless games over it.
For months, the Kwara State Government has engaged in an unnecessarily prolonged negotiation with the Labour Union on the new minimum wage, with no agreement reached due largely to the insincerity and insensitivity of the government. At the heart of the issue is a government proposal that appears deeply inadequate and unacceptable; the government has reportedly proposed a ₦25,000 flat rate as a consequential adjustment for workers on levels 7 to 14 while promising ₦70,000 for those on levels 1 to 6. The problem? Less than 5% of the state’s civil service workforce falls within the Level 1-6 bracket. This tactic, many believe, is designed to create a misleading impression of meeting wage demands, while most of the workforce remains shortchanged.
The latest figures released by the National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, revealed that Kwara ranks among the top 4 states with the highest costs of food and essential items, making Kwara one of the most expensive states to live in. Yet, Governor Abdulrazaq remains unmoved by this harsh reality. There has been no real effort by his government to address the escalating cost of living or to bring relief to workers in a way that meets these rising expenses. Worse still, the ₦25,000 being proposed is merely an addition of ₦15,000 to the existing ₦10,000 palliative wage award to the workers, which pales in comparison to the ₦30,000 or ₦35,000 palliative being paid by some other states that have even proposed significant minimum wage increment for their workers.
Not long ago, it was reported that the Kwara state government had agreed to a ₦40,000 consequential adjustment across levels, a figure that now seems to have been quietly discarded. It is worth noting that this agreement was made when fuel prices were below ₦1,000 per liter. Today, fuel is selling for over ₦1,000, with projections suggesting it could hit ₦1,500 before the end of the year just so we can see how meager such an amount will be if paid. Workers in Kwara, who continue to bear the brunt of soaring inflation rate and unprecedented fuel hikes, are left in limbo.
With a 100% increase in the state’s monthly federal allocation and significant improvement in its Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), the Abdulrazaq administration has no excuse not to offer Kwara workers a fair and equitable wage increment, especially in this challenging period when prices of goods and services have increased by over 300% in the last one year of the Tinubu administration, with many Nigerians finding it very difficult to feed and survive. The disposition of the Abdulrazaq administration to the plight of workers in the state is disappointingly insensitive and wicked. It appears the government doesn't care about the welfare of the workers who play a critical role in the development of the state.
A government that prioritizes spending ₦17.8 billion to renovate a hotel and wasting billions of naira on other white elephant projects has no justification not to pay workers a living wage. How the government team temporarily exited the Joint Negotiation Committee shows that this government isn't ready to commence minimum wage implementation anytime soon. This has created distrust and fear among the state’s workforce, many of whom are bracing themselves for disappointment.
The current administration’s hesitance to make a definitive commitment to the new minimum wage has greatly exacerbated the economic challenges facing state workers. Many now fear that if the government’s rumored proposal is made official, it could push them further into hardship. The proposed ₦25,000 flat rate for higher-level workers, in particular, is seen as grossly inadequate, especially when compared to the rates being implemented in other states.
As Kwara wades through indecision, other states have moved ahead, setting wage standards that Kwara workers can only dream of now. Ogun State, for instance, recently approved ₦77,000 as the new minimum wage for its workers, the highest in the country. Gombe State, too, settled on ₦71,451.15, while Kogi implemented ₦72,500, Lagos implemented ₦82,000. Even in Ondo State, the government pushed the national figure of ₦70,000 higher, agreeing to ₦73,000 for its workers.
These swift actions reflect the urgency of the economic situation in the country. With inflation at record highs and fuel prices stretching household budgets, workers across the nation are looking to their governors for immediate relief. Yet in Kwara, despite being Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF), Governor Abdulrazaq remains indecisive, leaving workers anxious.
It is time for the Kwara State Government to show leadership. The workers have borne the brunt of Nigeria’s economic hardships long enough, and other states have already recognized the urgent need for action. Kwara workers are not asking for miracles; they are asking for the government to live up to its promises and deliver on an agreement that secures their welfare. Governor Abdulrazaq’s indecision is pushing Kwara further behind in the national conversation on worker welfare.
The state’s workers deserve not just a reasonable wage but one that is implemented without further delay. A commitment to pay the new minimum wage, backed by immediate action, is not too much to ask. It is not too late for Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq to make the right decision. He must take inspiration from his counterparts in other states and swiftly move to announce a fair and livable wage for Kwara workers, paying arrears where necessary to ensure that they, too, can enjoy the benefits that workers in other states are already experiencing.
Abdulyekeen Mohd Bashir, a Kwara-born political analyst, writes from Ibadan.
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